I'll bet that was something!
My parents made many sacrifices. We lived in the nicest house on the block, went on a month long family vacation each year. They sent 2 kids to private college. Food was plentiful. They paid cash or used a credit card and never paid interest. Like that progressive commercial I became my parents.
My parents were savers. So am I. And thou they sadly deprived themselves, I never have. But I wait until I can afford to buy something. Then pay cash or more likely use the credit card company money for a month until I pay the whole thing off.
I am looking at the “City of Lewiston” {Maine} issued 25 cent bill that my grandmother carried in her wallet for the 80 years that she lived thru after she and my grandfather lost everything in the Great Depression. When the banks closed, some municipalities issued script in desperation to try and float the economy. It was her reminder to herself that “stuff” happens and to be ready for it. Now it hangs above my desk and serves the same purpose. Being one paycheck away from bankruptcy is no way to survive a downturn. Be an ant, not a grasshopper.